Angels Camp arrest

A man was arrested Sunday afternoon after allegedly touching children in an Angels Camp grocery store.

About 3:50 p.m., an Angels Camp Police officer was dispatched to Save Mart on a report of a possibly intoxicated man touching children.

When the officer arrived, the suspect, later identified as 46-year-old transient Leon John Dyken, attempted to leave the store and had to be physically restrained, according to police.

After being handcuffed, Dyken reportedly attempted to manipulate his body so that his hands were in front of him.

The officer interviewed the store manager who said he observed Dyken touch and tickle two children. The manager reportedly told Dyken he could not touch people in the store, followed him outside and waited for police.

The manager relayed to the officer that the mother of the children did not know the man or why he would touch them.

The mother had left the scene when officers arrived, and the Angels Camp Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating her for an interview.

The manager also told officers Dyken had been in and out of the store several times that day, causing disturbances.

Dyken was booked into Calaveras County Jail on suspicion of public intoxication, annoying and molesting children, resisting and obstructing an officer and bringing narcotics into jail.

During the booking process, authorities discovered Dyken was in possession of tobacco mixed with marijuana, according to police.

Earlier that day, officers responded to a call at a business on the 200 block of South Main Street about a person, who matched Dyken’s description, playing with a knife.